Conditions:Flintstone Canyon-20240913152402

Latest:	7 Sep 2024 (8 mos ago)

Reported by:	RFontaine (270 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Deep pools
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:
Time:	6 hours

Team: 3 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: A rugged and wild route with a remote wilderness feel and neat features thoughout.

Approach down to first drop is a loose downhill bushwhack but it is over quick. There is a log stuck in the first swimmer pool at the 2nd drop that we were able to downclimb in. Water bearable without wetsuit.

Lots of bush and fallen trees throughout canyon, very rugged.

We replaced and rebuilt a few anchors throughout.

I especially enjoy the crack and green room (pictured) rappels, very pretty sections!

We bypassed the final pothole by downclimbing DCL.

Exit isnt too terrible in my opinion, wet soil helped. Very scrambly a few 5th class moves here and there. Definitely have to tread lightly, lots of loose soil and loose rock that can easily dislodge. We were careful and didnt have any issues.

6.5 hours at a leisurely pace

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
7 Sep 2024	Good	Deep pools	None		6 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	RFontaine (270 reports)
Comment: A rugged and wild route with a remote wilderness feel and neat features thoughout. Approach down to first drop is a loose downhill bushwhack but it is over quick. There is a log stuck in the first swimmer pool at the 2nd drop that we were able to downclimb in. Water bearable without wetsuit. Lots of bush and fallen trees throughout canyon, very rugged. We replaced and rebuilt a few anchors throughout. I especially enjoy the crack and green room (pictured) rappels, very pretty sections! We bypassed the final pothole by downclimbing DCL. Exit isnt too terrible in my opinion, wet soil helped. Very scrambly a few 5th class moves here and there. Definitely have to tread lightly, lots of loose soil and loose rock that can easily dislodge. We were careful and didnt have any issues. 6.5 hours at a leisurely pace
23 Jul 2022	Good	Deep pools	None	Special challenges	5 hours	2 people Advanced	Nclegg (407 reports)
Comment: Replaced R1 webbing and rebuilt anchor as previous downed-tree anchor was compromised. Removed someone’s stuck rope from behind the stump at the first stage of the bolted, two-stage slot rappel. Recommend completing two rappels here (re-rigging from stump). Two swims, one at the start and end of the technical section. Took the sneak exit and it was horrendous. Climbing is not particularly challenging but the terrain is incredibly dirty and unstable. A bowling ball sized rock missed my partner’s foot by inches, and enormous downed trees and boulders continuously shifted underneath us…it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured on this exit, or worse. The traditional West Fork exit is a longer alternative, but it’s beautiful. Take it if you value your life. KML and written beta has been updated to reflect both exit options.
7 May 2022	Good	Deep pools	None		7 hours	3 people Advanced	RFontaine (270 reports)
Comment: Very pretty. Had some very cool narrow slot sections and a few neat rap sequences. Was able to stay dry for all but one swimmer pool, was cold but warmed up quick, didnt need wetsuits. Exit was fairly straight forward and easy to follow referencing GPS file. I didnt find the climbing section to be super hard but one of our team was fairly sketched out. The rocks here are super loose and unstable. Many of the handholds are good but a few were not and a few large boulders could be easily dislodged! Overall, it was a good fulfilling day of adventure!
3 Oct 2021	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (450 reports)
Comment: Not your cookie cutter/run of the mill canyon. Rugged and fun with multiple downclimbs and deep pools. R1 anchor was backed up as the original R1 anchor for loop route. R7 anchor should have one bolt.. It is low and back from the edge over a crack. The bolt for R6 is great, which made me wonder why one is not placed for R7 on the left near the edge. Plenty of opportunity to bypass rapps and enjoy some moderate downclimbs. Was surprised to see how well preserved this route is, most likely due to the challenging sneak exit or long west fork exit. Kudos to Jay and Todd on the sneak exit. Beta is spot on as well.
8 Jun 2020	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	5 people Intermediate to Advanced	Erek (206 reports)
Comment: Time is doing loop up exit. One cold swimmer, could be done without wetsuit but would definitely be cold, but able to get in sun quickly. Rest of canyon, knee deep at most. One in group did not use wetsuit. Big rappel has one bolt, can be easily done as two rappels with max of 70' allowing less rope needed and less weight for exit, that would be way nicer. We did it as two rappels because of possible rope stuck issues, much easier to manage rope position doing as two rappels and avoid rope getting stuck. Rest of canyon, no issues. Was able to downclimb several of the rappels. Exit is steep and loose, take special care to avoid falling rocks on group members. Last gulley is class 4 climbing.
8 Sep 2019	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	File:TimeX.png hour File:BarX.png	4 people Beginner to Advanced	Danelle (17 reports)
Comment: A great full day canyon. We started early and finished by headlamp (planned). Lots of boulder/log hopping and bushwhacking on the approach. Once we finished the last rappel, we took our time to enjoy the scenery and sunset on our exit. We did the full route out West Fork of Oak Creak Trail back to the Call of the Canyons day use area. Such a beautiful exit! The swimmers were very cold, however, we were able to find enough sun and the wetsuits keeps us warm enough. Took them off once we were finished with the majority of the water crossings on the exit. Caution: Rap 5- Beta says it can be done in a single rap, our group did it in a 2 stage. LOTS of potential for a stuck rope; the group in front of us got theirs stuck! Very narrow and small area to rig stage two, but we managed to set it up with teamwork and all 4 of us in the small landing area. Overall, fun rappels, very interesting down climbs and beautiful area. Great canyon in my eyes.
26 May 2017	Ok	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	7 hours	7 people Intermediate to Expert	Ihiromi (26 reports)
Comment: A few sections of mostly knee - chest deep wading, with one or two short mandatory swims. Water was very cold, but exposure is short. Wetsuits were nice for the swim, but were not necessary. Gully on the last section of the sneak exit had a lot of loose rock with very little cover, would not recommend for a large group. I took a class 4 /lower 5th class climb out on a crack system to the left of the exit gully.
19 Apr 2017 Trip report							HikeArizona.com (271 reports)
Comment: Most recent conditions reported at HikeArizona.com
15 Apr 2017 Trip report							JayWisocki@Facebook (2 reports)
Comment: extracts from Facebook posts, click link for full details (privacy restrictions may apply) " Todd Holmes and I headed up a new sneak exit for this canyon yesterday topping out right back at the car. Flintstone can now be done as a 1.25 mile loop at right around 4 to 5 hours car to car. With this exit you are dropping in right at the top of the technical section and exiting up and out right..." Flintstone Canyon April 15th 2017
11 Sep 2011 Trip report	Good						CanditionBot (2103 reports)
Comment: See the full condition report at Candition.com. Submitted by nonot.
11 Sep 2011 Trip report							Candition.com (287 reports)
Comment: Most recent conditions reported at Candition.com, see Trip Report for full details.